601 Int. J. Morphol., 40(3):601-607, 2022. The Pterygopalatine Ganglion, Palatine Nerves and Vessels: Dissection and Pathway El Ganglio Pterigopalatino, Nervios Palatinos y Vasos: Disección y Trayecto Florin Lupu 1 ; Catalina Iliuta 1 ; Mihaly Enyedi 2 ; Cosmin Pantu 2 ; Razvan Stanciulescu 2 ; Octavian Enciu 3 & Florin Filipoiu 2 LUPU, F.; ILIUTA, C.; ENYEDI, M.; PANTU, C.; STANCIULESCU, R.; ENCIU, O. & FILIPOIU, F. The pterygopalatine ganglion, palatine nerves and vessels: Dissection and pathway. Int. J. Morphol., 40(3):601-607, 2022. SUMMARY: Background and Objectives: The palatine nerves and vessels cross the pterygopalatine fossa, the palatine canals, the palatine foramina and the submucosal space, at the level of the hard palate and the palatine recess of the maxillary sinus. Their trajectory is long, complicated and difficult to highlight on a single dissection piece. In the literature that we studied, we did not find clear images that fully highlight the real configuration of the pterygopalatine ganglion and nerves and of the palatine vessels. Our aim was to provide a clear and representative dissection of the pterygopalatine ganglion and of the palatine neurovascular bundle throughout its pathway in a simple, coherent and useful presentation for the practitioners interested in the regional pathology. We resected the posterior and inferomedial osseous walls of the maxillary sinus and highlighted the neurovascular structures in the pterygopalatine fossa and the wall of the maxillary sinus. We photographed the dissection fields and detailed the important relations. The images that we obtained are clear, simple and easy to interpret and use. We successfully highlighted the aspect and the main relations of the pterygopalatine ganglion and the pathway and distribution of the palatine nerves and vessels, from their origin to the terminal plexuses. There is a broad spectrum of clinical procedures or situations that require a proper knowledge and understanding of the anatomical pathway and relations of the palatine neurovascular elements. This includes the various types of regional anesthesia, tumor resection surgery, flaps of the palatine mucosa, the LeFort osteotomy etc. Demonstration of the pterygopalatine ganglion and its relations is useful in endoscopic interventions at the level of the pterygopalatine fossa. KEY WORDS: Palatine nerves; Palatine arteries; Pterygopalatine ganglion; Maxillary sinus. INTRODUCTION The palatine nerves and vessels originate in the pterygopalatine fossa. They first cross the palatine canals, then enter the palatine foramina and then cross the submucosal space from the level of the hard palate towards the terminal neurovascular plexuses. This submucosal space is separated from the palatine recess of the maxillary sinus by an osseous lamina, represented by the palatine process of the maxilla. We first aimed to perform the dissection of the palatine neurovascular bundle in each topographical region. Another goal was to provide an overview of the route of the nerves and palatine vessels on a single dissection image. Last but not least, we wished to highlight the pterygopalatine ganglion and its main neurovascular relations. MATERIALS AND METHOD We performed dissections on seven male cadavers in the laboratory of the Anatomy Department at «Carol Davila» University, Bucharest. The bodies were previously preserved by arterial injection with formalin (9 % concentration) and then kept in a formalin (9 % concentration) bath for two months. The anatomization of the corpses was done according to the national legislation and university regulations. The dissection pieces were photographed and the images were edited without modifying the scientific content. The dissection technique that we used consists in the resection of the bone structures around the neurovascular packages, and the preservation of anatomical landmarks necessary for a good regional orientation. The anterior, lateral and posterior walls of the left maxillary sinus were resected. The resulting images are all in an anterolateral view of the left maxillary sinus. 1 Doctoral School, „Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Str. Dionisie Lupu, No. 37, Sector 2, Bucharest, Romania. 2 Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. 3 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, «Carol Davila» University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. Received: 2022- 02-19 Accepted: 2022-03-10